How long wrist fracture heal

Sometimes the bone is so severely crushed that there is a gap in the bone once it has been realigned. In these cases, a bone graft may be added to help the healing process.

Your hand surgeon will discuss the options that are best for your healing and recovery. During recovery, it is very important to keep your fingers moving to keep them from getting stiff.

Your hand surgeon will have you start moving your wrist at the right time for your fracture. Hand therapy is often helpful to recover motion, strength and function. Recovery time varies and depends on a lot of factors. It is not unusual for recovery to take months. Even then, some patients may have stiffness or aching.

Severe wrist fractures can result in arthritis in the joint. Occasionally, additional treatment or surgery is needed. This content is written, edited and updated by hand surgeon members of the American Society for Surgery of the Hand. Find a hand surgeon near you. Figure 1. Fractures that break apart joint surfaces or shatter into many different pieces are far more severe.

Such fractures will usually require surgery to correct their alignment. Recovery time for a fractured wrist will vary from situation to situation. Factors such as whether or not the fracture is displaced or stabilized, your age and health, and the presence of other injuries all come into consideration when trying to estimate how long it will take to recover from a wrist fracture.

Typically, a splint will be used for the first few days until the swelling goes down. About a week later, a cast will then be applied. A cast might be needed for six to eight weeks, and sometimes even longer depending on the severity of the break.

Using radio waves and a powerful magnet to produce detailed images of bone and soft tissues, MRIs are much more sensitive than X-rays and can identify very small fractures and ligament injuries. External fixation of the wrist Open pop-up dialog box Close. External fixation of the wrist With external fixation, a metal frame outside your body immobilizes the fracture with two or more pins that pass through your skin and into the bone on either side of the fracture.

Request an Appointment at Mayo Clinic. Share on: Facebook Twitter. Show references Wrist fractures. American Society for Surgery of the Hand. Accessed April 20, Sebastin S, et al. Overview of finger, hand, and wrist fractures. Scaphoid fracture of the wrist. American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons. Williams AA, et al. Pediatric hand and wrist injuries. Current Reviews in Musculoskeletal Medicine. Petron DJ. Get medical advice as soon as possible if you think you have broken your arm or wrist.

Any possible breaks need to be treated as soon as possible. It's not always clear if your arm or wrist is broken or just sprained so it's important to get your injury looked at by a healthcare professional. They can tell you the right place to get help if you need to see someone.

Go to Urgent treatment centres are places you can go if you need to see someone now. Find an urgent treatment centre. When you get to hospital the affected arm will be placed in a splint to support it and stop any broken bones from moving out of position.